First published 2026
In 2023, two men's paths crossed fatally on a New York subway car. Jordan Neely, a homeless man once known for Michael Jackson impersonations, and Daniel Penny, a former Marine who had left Long Island for the city, became central figures in a tragedy that reflected America's deepest fractures. Acclaimed journalist Anand Giridharadas reconstructs this deadly encounter and its legal aftermath through meticulous reporting. He follows an array of compelling figures: a lawyer seeking revenge for his failed district attorney campaign, a Michael Jackson impersonator fighting to honor her mentee's memory, a father doing homeless outreach while his own son lives on the streets, and a city official battling to implement mental health reforms under a scandal-ridden mayor. Giridharadas transforms what became divisive online content into a nuanced exploration of the forces that shaped this moment. The book captures both the sweeping social tensions and intimate human costs of an incident that exposed New York's struggles with crime fears, police distrust, and inadequate care for its most vulnerable residents.
Genres: biography, american, 21st-century, true-crime, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: intimate, investigative, nuanced, socially-conscious, thought-provoking
Tropes: multiple-perspectives, real-world-tragedy, systemic-failure
Setting: New York, New York City, Long Island
Period: 2023, 21st century
480 pages · Hardcover · Knopf
Content warnings: death, mental-illness, violence